Mole & Gecko at the Half Moon Theatre, London & Touring.
Star rating: two stars ★ ★ ✩ ✩ ✩
Billed as a rap musical, this show is really a story with occasional songs.
Simon Mole, rapper and poet, and Gecko – a singer guitarist and composer – are both personable young men who engage well with their young audience.
We could have done without the exaggerated faux “estuary” accents, though. If anyone thinks this makes them more accessible to their 5-plus audience then they’re wrong. It just feels patronising.
The concept of the piece is that the two actors are pretending to be a mole and a gecko although neither is very convincing.
The plot – such as it is – is weak and unoriginal. The idea of a timid mole and a romantic river is straight out of The Wind in the Willows along with the baddie-Weasel. And the conning of innocent animals out of something they value is lifted from Pinocchio.
On the other hand, some of the song words are quite fun and there are some enjoyable rhythms. Gecko is an accomplished guitarist and it’s a treat to hear an acoustic guitar played adeptly in a range of keys by someone who’s really on top on the instrument.
At base this show packs a (faintly laboured) moral message about friendship, forgiveness and looking after the environment. It’s worthy but lacklustre.
Susan Elkin
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